Swindon Advertiser Column: These New Measures Will Break Down The Barriers Faced By Disabled People

As the Minister for Disabled People, I get to meet a huge number of charities and people living with disabilities & long-term health conditions. It’s one of the best parts of the job; and it’s their knowledge & expertise I want to use to shape what the Government does to break down barriers.

Throughout my meetings & visits, one of the key suggestions has been for there to be a more joined-up approach on how Government works to support people with disabilities & long-term health conditions. I completely agree with this, which is why I was delighted that the Prime Minister announced this week the creation of a Cabinet Office Disabilities Unit, which will put the issue right at the heart of all future Government policy.

Working with charities and disabled people, I want to shine a light on injustices, and take action.

Among these important announcements is a real focus on the issues that affect disabled people in their daily lives including; greater workplace support, improving accessibility standards for new housing, and an overhaul of statutory sick pay.

We’re also going to look at how well companies deliver for disabled customers in essential markets, such as energy, broadband and water. This can then be used to drive action across Government.

These new measures will help to break down the barriers faced by disabled people, whether in employment, housing or elsewhere.

We all have a crucial role – businesses, government and civil society – in working together to ensure that disabled people get the support they need and go as far as their talents can take them.

The announcements have been welcomed by charities across the sector, including Sense and Scope, who very much helped bring them about.

Also this week, I was delighted that the Government introduced new legislation which will increase the maximum sentence for animal cruelty from six months to 5 years.

I was staggered to learn that last year the RSPCA’s 24-hour helpline received more than a million calls – roughly one every 39 seconds – with many reporting instances of neglect & cruelty.

The new Bill sends an extremely clear message that abusing animals is abhorrent & completely unacceptable, and will see the UK rightly introduce one of the toughest sanctions for animal abuse in Europe.

The announcement comes just a couple of weeks after Finn’s Law came into force – which provides additional protections for service animals. The new law is named after a police dog who was attacked, bringing the issue to public attention.

Finn was stabbed while chasing a man suspected of armed robbery; receiving serious wounds to the head and chest. Despite the severity of the injuries, the perpetrator could only be charged with criminal damage – woefully missing the seriousness of the offence. Finn’s Law changes that by making unnecessary suffering to a service animal a specific offence.

These new laws follow other positive animal welfare announcements made by the Government over the last year, including: a new law to ban puppy and kitten farming, a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses, and a ban on electronic training collars for dogs and cats.

Since being elected I have campaigned tirelessly on a huge number of animal welfare issues, including all of the successful campaigns above. I am very proud that the Government has not only listened, but has acted decisively so that we lead the world on improving animal welfare